PORTLAND, Ore. — The Concordia women's soccer coaching staff will balance both new and old faces in the fall, as head coach Grant Landy will enter his 17th season atop the program with three first-year assistants.

Joining the program in the fall will be Jon Kiester, Jackie Hendrickson—a former NAIA All-American and 2012 graduate of the women's soccer team—and Rob Warnell.

"This is a year of transition for our coaching staff as we say goodbye to Amy Jackson, Alex Gonzalez and Garrett Staples," Landy said. "I would like to say thank you to that group for all of their time and dedication to our athletes.

"Having said that, I feel like we have a very strong staff moving forward in August. I can't wait to get started working with this group of coaches."

More recently, Kiester has served as a staff coach for the Lake Oswego/OSSA Soccer Club, as well as the Oregon Olympic Development Program.

"I am thrilled to add Jon to our coaching staff," Landy said. "He has extensive experience in the college game, which will benefit our training sessions and game preparation.

"Having run his own collegiate program, Jon knows exactly what the challenges and standards are at this level. In addition, Jon's work with the club teams and the ODP program will help branch out our recruiting network. I am excited about Jon's impact on our players and program this fall."

Hendrickson, meanwhile, joins the CU coaching staff as a familiar face, having played within the program from 2008-11. In that time, Hendrickson was part of two different NAIA National Runner-Up teams, and was a three-time All-CCC first-team selection in the midfield. Hendrickson was also named to the NAIA All-American second team as a senior, when she was also named a first-team CoSIDA Academic All-American.

Since graduating from Concordia, Hendrickson has worked as a youth coach for Northeast United, while balancing a job as a Product File Coordinator at Nike.

"Jackie is the perfect fit for our coaching staff because she has such in-depth knowledge of our program," Landy said. "Having her as a role model for the players is invaluable to their growth both on and off the field.

"As a player, Jackie showed dependability and a tremendous work rate, which was reflected in her career accolades. She has already shown that drive and passion working with our team this past spring. I feel really good about having Jackie continue her Concordia career as a member of our staff."

Finally, Warnell joins the coaching staff after 23 years of coaching experience ranging from the recreational to college levels. Warnell has spent eight seasons as the head coach at St. Mary's Academy, splitting his tenure between two stints from 2004-06 and 2008-12. Warnell served as head coach at Central Catholic High School in between those tenures in 2007.

Warnell will also bring valuable knowledge to the Cavalier coaching staff from his years as a professional goalkeeper for the Portland Pride from 1992-97. The Cavaliers will be without two-time honorable mention NAIA All-American goalkeeper Tori Talbutt (Boise, Idaho/Capital H.S.), who started 68 of the Cavs' 69 matches over the last three seasons, this fall, leaving the goalkeeper position open heading into the 2013 season.

"Rob joins our program this fall with the primary responsibility of training our young goalkeeping group," Landy said. "He has extensive experience in this area, both as a player at the professional level and as a coach at the high school and club level. Rob has run his own program for years, so that will translate well as we integrate our goalkeepers into the training sessions. He has an opportunity to really impact our goalkeepers, and I am confident he will do a great job come August."

As a group, the Cavaliers' new assistants could be a part of history in their first season on staff, as Landy needs 11 wins next season to become just the third NAIA women's soccer head coach to record 300 wins in his or her career.

The team will also be going for its 14th straight CCC title in the fall.